Donald Trump in trouble as he refuses to condemn KKK endorsement

Donald Trump initially refused to condemn comments made by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, who told listeners of his radio show that voting against the Republican frontrunner would be the equivalent of “treason to your heritage.”

“Just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke,” Trump told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know — did he endorse me, or what’s going on? You know, I know nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists. And so when you’re asking me a question I’m supposed to be talking about people I know nothing about.”

The Anti-Defamation League had called on the real estate mogul to disavow the support from Duke and other white supremacist groups. But Trump refused to repudiate them.

“I have to look at the group. I mean, I don’t know what group you’re talking about,” Trump said. “You wouldn’t want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I’d have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong. But you may have groups in there that are totally fine — it would be very unfair. So give me a list of the groups and I’ll let you know.”

“I’m just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here,” Tapper said.

“Honestly, I don’t know David Duke,” Trump replied. “I don’t believe I’ve ever met him. I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet him. And I just don’t know anything about him.”

But on Friday at a press conference announcing he had the endorsement of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump didn’t sound like he didn’t know anything about Duke. 

“I didn’t even know he endorsed me,” Trump said when he was asked about Duke’s public support. “David Duke endorsed me? OK. I disavow, OK?”

“Voting against Donald Trump at this point is really treason to your heritage,” Duke said on his radio show Thursday. “I’m not saying I endorse everything about Trump, in fact I haven’t formally endorsed him. But I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action. I hope he does everything we hope he will do.”

In 2000, Trump, who had flirted with the idea of a third-party run with the Reform Party’s presidential nomination, called Duke “a Klansman” and Pat Buchanan a “neo-Nazi.”

“This is not company I wish to keep,” Trump said in statement that was recently surfaced by BuzzFeed.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called Trump’s refusal to disavow Duke on Sunday “sad.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said it makes Trump “unelectable.”

“We cannot be a party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan,” Rubio said at a rally in Virginia Sunday. “Not only is that wrong, it makes him unelectable. How are we going to grow our party with a nominee that refuses to condemn the Ku Klux Klan? Don’t tell me he doesn’t know who the Ku Klux Klan is. This is serious.”

Trump subsequently tweeted his disavowment.

Last week, South Carolina Conservative Action Council, a group dedicated to “defense of the proudly Confederate South,” rallied at the State House in support of Trump’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

His campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Yahoo News asking whether it accepts the SCCAC’s endorsement and why such groups are drawn to Trump.

With Yahoo News

How Hillary Clinton won black vote

Hillary Clinton began her campaign to win South Carolina years ago.

African-American voters carried Clinton to an overwhelming victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in the state’s Democratic presidential primary. African-Americans typically make up the majority of South Carolina’s Democratic electorate and, according to CNN’s exit polling, Clinton won with the support of 84 percent of the state’s black community.

Her husband, Bill Clinton, was famously dubbed America’s “first black president” because of his background, behavior and the admiration he earned from some in the African-American community during his time in office. But fond memories of Bill and the 1990s aren’t what cemented Hillary Clinton’s edge with black voters in South Carolina. Clinton managed to build a base in the Palmetto State through a years-long, under-the-radar operation to stay in touch and gather support from African-American leaders in the state she lost to Barack Obama in 2008.

Sanders, on the other hand, struggled to gain traction with black voters in South Carolina, hampered by the very thing that has lifted him elsewhere: his position as an outsider and newcomer on the state’s political scene. Attempts at outreach came late and were described by some local African-American leaders as ham-fisted.

The Clinton campaign’s South Carolina ground operation launched on the day she announced her presidential bid last April. At the time, she was the clear frontrunner and had the fundraising to match. That early edge let Clinton hire experienced local staff and set up shop in South Carolina, long before Sanders was seen as anything more than a long-shot challenger with little national profile.

“We were in this state first. The day we launched this campaign, we had staff in the state,” said Marlon Marshall, Clinton’s director of states and political engagement.

But Clinton’s presence in South Carolina began long before that day. Bill Clinton won the Palmetto State primaries in 1992 and 1996, which allowed Hillary Clinton to build relationships in the state and get to know its politics and leading personages. In fact, Clinton’s ties in the state predate her husband’s presidential bid. Clay Middleton, a native South Carolinian who served as state director of Clinton’s campaign, noted she first came into the state during the 1970s, while working as a young lawyer with the Children’s Defense Fund. And as first lady of Arkansas, Clinton co-chaired a task force on infant mortality with former South Carolina Gov. Richard Riley.

“She’s been working in and with South Carolinians since the ’70s, but every decade since then, she’s been in and out of the state working with people,” Middleton said. “She has deep roots here, and it has blossomed over the years.”

But all that support seemingly vanished in 2008, when Clinton faced off against Obama, the first African-American major-party presidential primary frontrunner. Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, attributed Clinton’s loss that year to the simple fact that voters had — and wanted to take — the chance to elect the first black president.

“Before that possibility came, Hillary was actually doing quite well,” Darby explained. “She had nailed down a good number of endorsements.”

Nevertheless, even after being beaten by Obama in South Carolina, Clinton never retreated from South Carolina, Darby said.

“I don’t think Hillary’s ever been off the ground except for the little while when there was a tiff after the ’08 primary. She has stayed in touch with the community. She started laying groundwork for this run, oh, probably three or four years ago. She’s had people circulating. … She’s talked to the right folks,” Darby said, adding, “I don’t think South Carolina ever entirely left the Clintons. It might have parked them in the corner for one election, but they’ve maintained good relationships.”

In contrast, a source said the Sanders campaign did not begin to establish a large presence in the state until last September.

See What Rio Ferdinand Did Said That shocked BT Sport viewers

Rio Ferdinand suggests Zinedine Zidane was not a truly great player.

Rio Ferdinand raised a few eyebrows on Wednesday night after claiming that Zinedine Zidane, the great former France international, would not make it into his top five or 10 all-time great players list.

And the ex-Manchester United star, who now works as a pundit on BT Sport, even suggested that - in his mind - Zidane was perhaps not a “top, top player”.

Ferdinand argued the truly great players were more explosive and that the graceful Zidane, although beautiful to watch, was less effective.

“Rio, you’re not overly convinced - you don’t put him in your top five or 10 players?” Gary Lineker asked Ferdinand before Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over AS Roma in the Champions League last-16 first leg.

“No, I don’t,” the retired defender replied. “There’s no denying he was a magician, an unbelievable footballer, but when I think of the top, top players - the likes of Ronaldinho, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, the real Ronaldo ‘R9’, Messi - these guys for me are more explosive and they got me off my seat a lot more than what Zidane did.

Zinedine Zidane is already losing patience with a player

Zinedine Zidane is already losing patience with James Rodriguez.

Zinedine Zidane has only been in charge of Real Madrid for 10 days but he already has a problem with one member of his first-team squad.

The French coach, according to Catalan newspaper Sport, doesn’t even want to look at a painting of James Rodriguez because he’s fed up with the Colombia international’s attitude.

Zidane is frustrated that James is above his ideal weight and doesn’t seem to be focused - even on the training ground - and is beginning to worry that he might be fighting a losing battle with the technically-gifted playmaker.

Sport speculate that James’s love of the Madrid nightlife, fast cars and a luxurious lifestyle is affecting his performances.

Earlier this month he was involved in a 200mph ‘high-speed pursuit’ - per the Mirror - with an undercover police officer while he was on his way to training.

Patriotism Will Encourage More Foreign Investments - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Doha urged Nigerians to rekindle the spirit of patriotism and selfless service to encourage more foreign investments.

At a meeting with members of the Nigerian community in Doha, the President gave the assurance that the Federal Government would continue to create the enabling environment for investments in Nigeria. He said that most of the government efforts would be anchored on peace and security, Channel Television reported.

“We have abundant natural and human resources in the country, including huge oil and gas deposit.

“But the challenge is securing those installations and to persuade some of our countrymen to be more patriotic and stop sabotaging the installations.

“When people are being abducted and some are being murdered, when installations are being blown up now and then, the incentives for people to invest in our infrastructure is quite slim,” he told the gathering.

Manchester City lifted the League Cup at Wembley after beating Liverpool 3-1

Manchester City have emerged champions of the League Cup 2016, making it their fourth victory in five finals.

The English football club lifted the League Cup at Wembley after beating Liverpool 3-1 on penalties after the game had finished 1-1 after extra-time.

Fernandinho scored the opener in the 49 minute before Philippe Coutinho created the equaliser in the 83rd minute, before the penalty shootout.

During the penalty, goalkeeper Willy Caballero saved three shots from Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, making them the champion.

Manchester City have won the title in 1970, 1976, 2014 and 2016.